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THE POSSESSION (2012)Movie Reviews
Horror thriller about a young girl whose purchase of an antique box at a yard sale leads to her possession by the evil spirit it was built to contain. Cast:Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Madison Davenport, Natasha Calis, Grant Show, Matisyahu, Quinn LordDirector:Ole BornedalRelease Date:August 31, 2012DVD Release:January 15, 2013From:LionsgateRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 31 min.
The Possession (2012) played to mixed reviews. • Andrew Dowler wrote in Toronto Now, "...a well-told but only mildly scary 'Exorcist' knock-off with a couple of okay twists in its highly predictable story. The actors give solid but unspectacular performances." • And Tirdad Derakhshani wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "...well-crafted, well-paced, well-shot, and well-acted. But it's, well, so very bland." More Reviews Below...
The Possession (2012) Positive Reviews (28 Reviews, reviews below)
Keith Staskiewicz, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Natasha Calis is appropriately creepy as that increasingly malevolent kid. Still, the scary bits are too familiar: It seems clichés are nondenominational."(See all of Keith Staskiewicz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 77 words, 09/07/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...offers a more unusual hero: an orthodox rabbi. Sadly, it's the only fresh element in this tired sub-genre of demon-child horror movies."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 520 words, 08/31/12
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a serious horror film... the characters are all real... 'The Exorcist' has influenced a lot of films, and this is one of the better ones."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 613 words, 08/31/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Nothing earth-shaking... a pretty scary night out, particularly if you have fond recollections of 'The Amityville Horror'... 'Burnt Offerings'... stuff like that."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 601 words, 08/29/12
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Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...a generic exorcism thriller... But slick direction and a strong central turn from Jeffrey Dean Morgan will keep you watching, if rarely from the edge of your seat."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 294 words, 08/31/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "A better-than-most fright-time tale... the sort of classically minded horror tale that Sam Raimi in particular seems to favor."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 283 words, 08/31/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...unremarkable and none-too-scary... Hasidic reggae-pop star Matisyahu is no Max von Sydow, but he does provide the film with some much-needed energy."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 438 words, 08/31/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "...may not be very scary, but it can be mildly entertaining. That's more than a lot of dead-serious horror-movies can say."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 299 words, 08/31/12
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the thrills are as boilerplate as the title... But we feel something for the family at the heart of the story, and that makes a big difference."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 642 words, 08/31/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a serious horror film... the characters are all real... 'The Exorcist' has influenced a lot of films, and this is one of the better ones."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 613 words, 08/31/12
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...delivers second-rate horror clichés.... Bornedal's fondness for punctuating abrupt cuts to black with a solitary piano-key note is so pathological that it soon turns risible."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 08/29/12
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "...coughs, wheezes and hurls like a defective factory issue from McSpooky, Inc., rather than Sam Raimi's supposedly creative Ghost House Pictures."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 458 words, 08/31/12
Adam Nayman, Toronto Globe & Mail: POOR(cg) "...the 'Paranormal Activity' films prove that it's possible to generate tension.... By contrast, this thriller merely feels innocuous: Nothing to fear here."(See all of Adam Nayman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 509 words, 08/31/12
Andrew Dowler, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...a well-told but only mildly scary 'Exorcist' knock-off with a couple of okay twists in its highly predictable story. The actors give solid but unspectacular performances."(See all of Andrew Dowler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 197 words, 08/30/12
KEY CITIES (6 Reviews)
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Anyone who actually believes in dybbuks will find 'The Possession' terrifying. For the rest of us, the movie is a cleverly constructed, well-paced piece of hokum."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 416 words, 08/31/12
Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "...dispiritingly unscary... Sure, the film is well-crafted, well-paced, well-shot, and well-acted. But it's, well, so very bland."(See all of Tirdad Derakhshani's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 458 words, 08/31/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a worthwhile addition to the exorcism-film heap.... will scare you in the moment, but unlike the best of these kinds of films, it won't haunt you afterward."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 555 words, 08/31/12
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "...offers a blend of horror styles -- including a few out-of-place Japanese horror nods a la 'The Ring' -- with little cohesion... there's a lethargic quality to the performances..."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 08/31/12
Roger Moore, Seattle Times: WEAK(cg) "...a passable PG-13 version of 'The Exorcist'.... The effects are chilling enough, the buildup has its ominous moments. But the film lacks impact."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 154 words, 08/31/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...delivers second-rate horror clichés.... Bornedal's fondness for punctuating abrupt cuts to black with a solitary piano-key note is so pathological that it soon turns risible."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 08/29/12
Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: POOR(cg) "...boring, repetitive junk.... if there's something impressive about 'The Possession' it's the sheer number of clichés that it manages to include in its 92 minute runtime..."(See all of Eric Eisenberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 643 words, 08/29/12
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: POOR(cg) "...closes with the obligatory tease of a potential sequel... it feels like a host trying to foist leftovers on guests fleeing food they could barely stomach."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 349 words, 08/30/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a solid, Jewish-inflected B-movie riff on 'The Exorcist'... This variation on the demon child subgenre has enough of the familiar and the new to be a decently good time..."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 800 words, 08/29/12
Chris Cabin, Slant: POOR(cg) "...an abysmal supernatural ordeal 'presented' by Sam Raimi.... a bag of cliché-ridden tricks, donning the ever-dubious label of being 'based on a true story'..."(See all of Chris Cabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 449 words, 08/29/12
Andrew Dowler, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...a well-told but only mildly scary 'Exorcist' knock-off with a couple of okay twists in its highly predictable story. The actors give solid but unspectacular performances."(See all of Andrew Dowler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 197 words, 08/30/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "A better-than-most fright-time tale... the sort of classically minded horror tale that Sam Raimi in particular seems to favor."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 283 words, 08/31/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: EXCELLENT "...beautifully photographed and well cast.... it delivers its shocks masterfully and without overkill, and offers a new twist on the familiar exorcism formula."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 859 words, 08/31/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Geoff Berkshire, Daily Variety: WEAK "...tries to spice up a formulaic screenplay by converting a predominantly Catholic-fixated horror subgenre to Judaism.... a wan effort with nothing genuinely new to offer."(See all of Geoff Berkshire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 580 words, 08/29/12
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: WEAK "...indulges in the usual cheap scares induced by ear-shattering bursts of volume, frequently punctuating scenes with blackouts and ominous piano chords."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 494 words, 08/28/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "A better-than-most fright-time tale... the sort of classically minded horror tale that Sam Raimi in particular seems to favor."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 283 words, 08/31/12
21.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Possession (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 21.7 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Possession (2012) (28 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Possession (2012)'s reviews cover 38.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 12,343 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 441 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 17.0 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Possession (2012)'s reviews on average broke 17.0 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Possession (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Possession (2012) (28 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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